I have loved art and calligraphy since as long as I have been able to hold a brush. I have won several prizes in China for art and calligraphy and passed the prestigious Level 7 Painting Certificate of the Shanghai Chinese Calligraphy and Painting Association. I love the creative process and have applied my artistic and marketing skills and experience in producing eye-pleasing and effective designs for both marketing products and web pages. I am greatly attracted to the vast creative potential that the web provides and seek to fuse traditional art forms with the very latest technological innovations. I regard myself as a ‘natural’ in the field who now seeks to acquire the additional skills and knowledge to make a significant contribution especially in the area of ‘new media’ which is opening up thrilling new possibilities for almost every kind of business and organization.
My bachelor degree in Graphic Design and Art History provided me with an excellent grounding for a career in this field. The study and practice of ‘bringing ideas to life’ through GD was, in itself, fascinating but the fact that I was surrounded by highly creative people who shared my enthusiasm made the experience truly life-changing. This was supplemented by an appreciation, in the study of Art History, of the fact that there have always been those who seek to present thoughts, information and opinion through appealing and compelling composition and have found many means of doing so over several millennia.
My artistic and design education has been supplemented by technical knowledge and skills acquired over several years spent as an intern, employee and contractor in the working world of design/web design. I am aware that ‘artists’ can sometimes struggle in the demanding and profit oriented ‘real world’. However I have a well-developed practical ‘side’ and I have thrived in the ‘rough and tumble’ of the collaborative and team based projects in which I have often been involved. I consider the ‘art’ of effective communication is as vital to a designer as his technical skills and I am by nature as ready to listen as I am to speak though always ready to make my own ‘case’ to others. I have found this characteristic to be very helpful in achieving early agreement with colleagues and clients. The technical knowledge and skills acquired during my bachelor degree studies and broadened them considerably by the application of a number of additional platforms.
I have particularly enjoyed working in the exciting environment of the ‘start up’ in which the creative impulse can be allowed maximum rein. In one case, our team designed an animated app mock up prior to the launching of the product to gauge the interest of potential backers. This approach saved much time and expense in judging whether or not to proceed and we were ultimately successful both in raising finance and marketing the product. The use of UI/UX design assisted in attracting traffic and product purchase. The whole exercise was enormously satisfying and taught me much.
I am excited to be in a field where change is so rapid and openness to innovation and adaptability are vital to success. I enjoy learning and applying new techniques and platforms and understand that this process of change and improvement will continue at an increasing rate over time.
To summarize, I am an accomplished artist with an excellent and relevant academic and professional background that will enable me to excel in the program and in a web design career beyond. I can assure the reader of highly enthusiastic and diligent participation in the program, I look forward to sharing the fruits of my own knowledge and skills for the benefit of my fellow students and receiving the benefit of their own.
Thank you for considering my application to one of the finest Graphic Design Master’s Program in the world at XXXX University.